The Initial Democratic Debate - A Brief Synopis

Well, out of morbid curiosity, I watched the Democratic debate last night. And even though the candidates patted themselves on the back several times for conducting a more productive debate than the Republicans, I really didn't see a whole lot of meat and potatoes in it.

Not surprising, Hillary Clinton seemed to be the most poised and confident. She has the ability to deliver a load of bullshit with the agility of a used car salesman. For instance, after she described herself as "being consistent over the course of her life", moderator Anderson Cooper brought up Hillary's various flip-flops. She responded by saying that she reserves the right to change her position as she "absorbs new information". I plugged this into my bullshit decoder and it translated to......I can say anything I want and then conveniently jump to the other side when it's politically advantageous.

As the current front-runner, Hillary was the default lightning rod of the debate, attracting fire from the other wannabe Presidents. To her credit, she didn't get rattled and appeared in control throughout the debate. She was obviously the seasoned debater of the group. However, with her mailbag full of scandals, she still comes across as someone that you can not trust. But regardless, millions of people will still vote for her.

Former Vermont Governor Bernie Sanders actually came across as a likable guy. Of the five candidates, Sanders appeared to be the most passionate. His biggest talking points centered around income equality. In a nut shell, his message was that the rich people need to share their wealth. Although I don't agree with most of his views, I respect him for coming out and admitting that he's a true, blue socialist.

Sanders has some great sounding ideas. For instance, he wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. He also wants free college tuition for everyone. But while these things would be certainly be nice, nothing is ever free. Someone has to pay. And, inevitably, it's usually the taxpayer who foots the bill.

Martin Owe'Malley was a little more vocal than I expected but he still came across in his predictable circus-clown fashion.  His responses came across as phony, over-rehearsed rhetoric. It was as if he had "trigger words" which launched him into a series of prepared talking points. Not surprising, none of his responses seemed genuine. One of the more hilarious moments of the debate came when Owe'Malley was grilled on the violence of Baltimore. Amazingly, he tried to paint the City That Bleeds as a place where violent crime is declining. When he made a comment about being able to safely walk down the streets of Baltimore, I practically spit out my drink. There is an average of three people shot everyday in Baltimore. Does that really sound like a place that you'd want to take a midnight stroll?

Of course, gun control was also brought up in the conversation. Yeah, gun control is really working wonders for Baltimore, isn't it? Most liberals are for taking away as many guns as possible. But the one thing that they can't seem to comprehend is that gun control laws are almost worthless because CRIMINALS DO NOT OBEY THE LAWS!!! I'm always amazed at the blatant hypocrisy of the gun-grabbing liberal politicians and/or celebrities who won't go out into public without an armed bodyguard. If they feel that passionate about shelving all of the guns, maybe they should walk the unarmed walk.

Former Virginia Governor Jim Webb seemed to be the most serious of the five candidates. His military background and experience as Secretary of the Navy and Council for the House Committee on Veteran's Affairs gave him perhaps the best insight on foreign affairs. However, he's a little late to the game and he simply doesn't have the name recognition to make a big impact at the polling places. With that being said, I respect Webb and if I were a registered Democrat, he would get my vote.

Former Rhode Island Governor and US Congressman, Lincoln Chafee was like a fish out of water last night. He boasted of being a (former) liberal Republican. What's the point? He's a Democrat now. And one of his biggest self-described assets is that he has no scandals in his background. While this might be commendable, it really doesn't matter. Scandals have become an acceptable waste product of modern day politics. Morality and accountability have taken a back seat to the "what can you do for me now" mentality.

One of the more interesting questions came from a young man via a video feed who asked the candidates, "Do black lives matter? Or do all lives matter?" This, of course, was a racially baited question where there was only one "acceptable" answer. Sanders and Owe'Malley have already had recent run-ins with the Black Lives Matter crowd. So, when they were asked to respond, they both immediately took the racially-appeasing answer of "black lives matter".  I give kudos to Jim Webb for going against grain and saying that all lives matter. Jesse Jackson, who was in the crowd, must have been livid! How dare someone say that all lives matter. Gather up the disenfranchised youth and let's launch into some unrest! Of course, Webb's "insensitive" answer will probably result in him being pressured to go on an apology tour or drop out the race.

I'm not sure how many more debates there will be for the Democrats. But, in reality, the only two legitimate contenders are Clinton and Sanders. The rest of the field. in my opinion, are wasting time and money by remaining in the race. When the dust finally settles, I expect Hillary to get the nomination.

kw